Signal for road crossings



Dec; 4, 1923. 1,416,403

P. A. JOHNSON SIGNAL FOR ROAD CROSSINGS .9. Filed April 6, 1923 Dec. 4,19235.

ersnr PETER A.-J'OHNSO.W, 03? LYLE, MIBTNESQTA.

SIGNAL FOE CRGSSING-S.

Application filed April 6,

To aZZ 107mmmcty concern:

Bait knownthat 1, PETER A. JOHNSON, a citizen of theUnited States,residing at Lyle, in thecounty ofldower and State at llilinnesota, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Signals for RoadCrossings, of which the following is a specification. r

lll ly invention relates to danger signals for road crossings, and theobject is to provide an audible signal device which will beautomatically operated by an automobile or other vehicle approaching aroad crossing. The device may be used at any dangerous crossing but isespecially intended for use where a vehicle road crosses arailway trackandis there tobe placed one device at each side of the road bed sayabout three hun dred'feet'trom the track so that-even a fast movingautomobile may have time to slow up and even stop so that its occupantsmay look out for trains before crossing the railway track after the autohas caused the signal bell to ring.

l n the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top or planviei'v of my signaling device. i i v fFigpQ isaside elevation of the device with one side of its framework removed ason the line 2 2 in Fig. 1 but showing shield 45 which is omitted inFigs. 1 and 6.

Fig, an a cross section on line in Fig.2. "I

Fig. 4 is a section online 14- in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a left hand side elevation of the adjacent portion of Fig. 2.V

Fig. 6 is the right hand end portion of Fig. 2 with its side closure orboard 13 in place. Fig. 7 is a plan View of a piece of land having arailroad bed and rails and a public drive way crossing the railroad andprovided with two of my alarm signal devices; the view also showselements designating auto vehicles in position to operate the signals.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, each of the two devicesused at a crossing for operation by vehicles running in oppositedirections, being alike. I will describe only one of them in detail.Each device comprises a main channel or inclosure 10which may be made ofconcrete or other material. This channel is open at the top and adaptedto be set in the road bed with its top edges flush with the top of theroad,

1922. Serial No. 630,361.

as shown in F 2 and 7, wherell is the surface of the vehicle road. Oneend of the channel is closed by a wall 12, the other end is closed bythe lower portion of an upright inclosure 13 which serves as a mechanismchamber containing an alarm bell 1%, and its clapper 15, all mounted ina mechanism frame secured by screws 18 and composed of two parallelplates 16-17, spacedand connected by frame bars 16 the clapper arm 15 isfixed to a rock shaft 19 which is engaged by a' spring 20 tending tothrow the clapper against the bell. Extending downwardly from shaft 19is a clapper operating lever 19 having a camclose above elbow 19*; saidcamis actuated by the end 27 of lever 28. The inclosure or housing 13may be much varied in form and arrange ment. In the present drawing themain channel is shownas having a bottom extension 21 to which thehousing is secured bya bolt 22, and a top cleat 23 crossing it andcarrying a bracket 24 to which the housing is secured by a bolt 25. Thehousing has a removable side wall or door 13 secured in place'by screws26 (see Fig. 6).

The lever 28 extends through an inverted channel 29 and is pivoted at 30in a notch (not shown) in a block 31 securcdby a bolt 32 to the end wall12 of the main chank nel. It is also pivoted at 33 to the side flanges29 of the inverted or small channel. The top 29 of the small channel isbeveled at 3% (see Fig. 3) so as not to injure the tires of vehiclewheels running across it to depress it from the position in Fig. 3 tothat in Fig. 4.

Each time the small channel has been de pressed it is raised again bytwo springs 35 each of which has its middle portion formed with a loop36 supported o, a pin 37 passed through the side walls of the mainchannel or hollow base at such height that the springs always havetension enough to raise the small channel to its limit, such limit beingregulated by short springs 38 inserted through the sides of the base andengaging in vertical slots 39 in the sides of the small channel. Each ofsaid sides is provided with a large clearance all-41 for the springs,which have their ones inserted as at 12 between the side wall and thetop of the channel and is further held in proper position by v rticalguiding pins 4L3. The top 29 of the small channel ma-ytbe secured to thesides 29 by either screws or spikes 29 shown that the bell ded withseveral aperthe hearing of the hell. Said apertures a e pr tected fromsnow and rain by a shield l5.

In Fig. 7. dcsi' ates a railway tracl crossing a vehicle road 11. whichmay be paved between the lines 47 and graded to lines 48. 4:9 and aretwo automobiles or other vehicles each of which is shown as crossing oneof my signal devices 10 and approaching: railway to cross it; the vehicle is shown in position to have all tour of its wheels operate thesignal while the vehicle 50 can operate the nal only ly its two outerwheels. In either case when the front wheel (or wheels) pass over thechannel 29"- the sprin 's 35 will yield and let the channel sink to thebottom of the base channel. This causes pivot 33 to act on lever or arm28 and swing it downward on its pivot 30, whereby the free end 27 of thearm 28 passes the elbow 19" of the clapper lever 19, swings it againstthe resistance of spring :20 and releases it to let the clapper make onestroke on the bell. When said frontwheel has passed over the channel 29the latter is raised by the springs 85 and such raising causes the end27 of arm 28 to swing upward and thereby actuate the clapper lever19 andthus give the bell a second stroke. In like manner the rear wheel (orwheels) in passing over the channel 29" cause the bell to receive twomore strokes, or all together the bell is struck four times while thedriver is p it in front of the apertures 414i, so that under all normalconditions the audible signal given by thehell will warn him of thedangerous cross'ng'. \Vhile I have shown the mechanism frame as composedof two parallel metal plates 17 and 16 secured together in siacedrelation by frame bars or studs 16, 16 it is obvious that this is onlyone term of embodimentoi that part of the device. The same is true ofthe operation of he clapper though I have only shown the principle ofhaving a spring 20 swinging the clapper toward the bell until a portionof the clapper arm stops aga nst the stud 16, while the momentum of theclapper causes the arm to spring so the clapper hits the bell one strikewhereupon the arm springs the clapper slightly away from the bell to letthe latter sound.

lVhat I claim is:

l. The combination with a railway track and a vehicle road crossing it,of a. signal comprisin a channel shaped base spaced some distance awayfrom the railway track and laid in the vehicle road in transverseposition thereof and. flush with the top of the road; a bell housinfixed upon one end of the channel and a bell and spring actuated clapperin the hell housing said clapper having; an operating lever with tworeversely arranged cam faces,'a horizontally disposed single actuatingarm having one end pivoted in the end of the base farthest from the bellhousing and its other end extended into the lower part of the bellhousing and there arranged to contact with the cam faces and ring thebell when the actuating arm is swung either up or down on its pivot, ahorizontally disposed single bar titted loosely in the base channelandhaving pivoted connection with the actuating arm; springs tending atall times to raise the said bar partly above the base channel and meanslimiting said raising movement.

2. The structure specified in claim 1, in which the horizontal bar is aninverted channel with longitudinal slots in the middle of its sideflanges, a horizontal pin extending through said slots and fitted in thesides of the base channel. bow-shaped springs one in each side of saidslots and having each at its middle a circular loop encircling the pin,the ends of said spring being secured to the side flanges of the channelbar whereby the latter is held. elevated by the pin and the springs.

In testimony whereof I my signature.

PETER A. JOHNSON.

